Newborn Surrendered to Mississippi Safe Haven Baby Box
A newborn was surrendered to a Safe Haven Baby Box in Mississippi, making it the state’s second surrender, WAPT reported.
The infant was surrendered to a baby box at Simpson General Hospital in Mendenhall last week, according to the report. The baby box was opened in January 2024 and is the second location opened in the state.
Baby boxes were created to deter parents from abandoning their newborns in unsafe conditions, potentially leaving them to die. Baby boxes are temperature-controlled incubators often built into exterior walls of fire stations, police stations, and hospitals and can be accessed from outside and inside. At-risk mothers can safely and legally place their newborns inside. Once the baby is inside the baby box, the outside door locks, and the mother has time to leave before an alarm goes off alerting first responders or hospital staff to the child’s presence.
The baby is then quickly removed and sent to a hospital for a wellness check. From there, the baby is usually placed into state custody and is often quickly adopted.
“When communities are prepared for anonymous surrender, we can radically change the outcome. We can avoid deadly abandonments for the infant and a life of prison for the mother,” Safe Haven Baby Box founder Monica Kelsey said. “This mother was selfless. We know these are not light decisions, and this infant will soon be adopted by a family praying for a child. Safe surrender truly makes light out of a heavy situation.”
At least 59 infants have been surrendered to Safe Haven Baby Box locations nationwide since 2017. There are more than 340 locations around the country, including five in Mississippi.
“The organization supports women in crisis through its National Hotline, 1-866-99BABY1, offering free, confidential counseling with expertise in each state’s Safe Haven Law. Education is a crucial part of Safe Haven Baby Boxes’ mission,” according to the report.
In Mississippi, newborns up to 45 days old can be legally surrendered to hospitals, fire stations, EMS providers, licensed adoption agencies, and baby boxes, according to the organization.
Katherine Hamilton is a political reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on X @thekat_hamilton.
